The Branded Perspective | Controversial thought: Is it time to just... switch back to Facebook?

Controversial thought:  Is it time to just... switch back to Facebook?

I recently wrote about my midlife calibration — and this might be part of it.

I was early-ish on the Facebook scene. Then, I judged it — hard — for being only for older people. Lately though, I’m realizing the content I actually want to engage with is showing up on my Facebook feed. Things like friends finding friends (hello, Red Cross reunion!) and sweet celebrations I never would’ve caught thanks to the black hole that is my Instagram algorithm.

Look, I’ve loved Instagram since the beginning. It gave me photo filters! It let me celebrate artistic moments in a simple way. It took me nearly 10 years to convince my sister to sign up (because as it works with most big sisters, what I reco the elder resists 🤣), but once someone else endorsed it — boom, she was hooked.

But now I’m going to say something controversial (especially as a marketer):
Instagram is no longer social & is starting to feel kind of over.
Well — over for anything but entertainment, influencers, and shopping.

If you open Instagram today, you’re probably being served content from strangers or brands. And yes, often it’s entertaining. I still fall into the trap of watching dance and cheerleading videos I wish I could still perform. But it's not a social platform anymore. One in ten posts might be from someone I actually know. Maybe.

Side note: I will NOT be downloading TikTok to my personal phone. (That’s a hard boundary.) From a brand perspective? Sure, it’s powerful — unless you’re age-gated. Then it gets messy. TikTok feels like a world that wants to become your world — it’s the Bravo TV of a new generation.
Also — am I the only one who kind of misses when millennials were the most hated generation? Like… we aged out of being the young ones?? Can we get that back?

Anyway. Instagram as an ad platform? Brilliant - the app is still one of the first ones that people open and will relax while scrolling. It’s the modern version of old-school word of mouth — and we marketers lived for that. For the scroll-happy crowd, it’s an easy win. We buy. I know, because I’ve been influenced more times than I care to admit. Those AI-powered, data-backed, “we see you and your exact soul” ads work.
But… it’s missing something. It’s missing humanity.

A great friend of mine, Heather Devane, recently posted something that hit me.  She had tuned into a marketing discussion and cited two quotes:

“Rhonda Hughes shared a fact that’s now living rent-free in my head: The average person scrolls 300 feet of content on social media per day. That’s equivalent to the height of the Statue of Liberty. 🤯"

And another one:

“Maury Rogow had my favorite line of the day: ‘Your brand is what they say about you when you’re not in the room.’”

Here’s the gut punch:

I don’t think scrolling 300 feet of content leaves anyone with something to say about you when you’re not in the room. And that — that’s the problem. It all comes back to brand distinction.

➤ If your content actually has something to say, something true and sticky and worth repeating? Keep going.

➤ If you're a DTC brand with an easy sell? Lean into Insta-fabulousness. 

➤ If you’re CPG? Digital strategy can absolutely help you drive frequency and reinforce brand messaging — but it has to connect.

This post could live in the “branded strategy” camp or in “personal reflection.” So I'm posting in branded but here’s where I land on the personal side...

I took a break from Instagram this year. And as a person, I didn’t miss it.

My work led me to build out community events and a Facebook presence for non-profits. 

I noticed that on Facebook, I started reconnecting with people — real ones, people I care about.  Messenger would deliver surprise notes from old friends and my feed algorithm featured friends.
And I didn’t expect that.
I don’t know if it’s my age, my feed, the nostalgia, or what.

But maybe, just maybe... there’s something still there. 

About the Author

Sara L. Gable is a marketing strategist with over 20 years of experience building beloved brands and driving business growth.  She served as Chief Marketing Officer at a startup wine company and has led initiatives for household brands including Samuel Adams, Heinz, and Colgate. Known for her creative instincts and data-driven approach, Sara brings a unique blend of entrepreneurial energy and big-brand discipline to every project.

Learn more at The Art of Marketing.